In this chaotic world of martial arts, I'll become a god by adding skill points!

Chapter 121 The Way of the World

When the old beggar saw someone come in, he trembled with fear and desperately shrank into the corner.

Wang Anping quickly slowed his pace, squatted down, and tried to make his voice sound calm: "Grandpa, don't be afraid."

I'm not a bad person, I was just passing through—how did this county town become like this? Where has everyone gone?

The old beggar stared at him for a long time with his cloudy eyes. Judging from his clean and tidy clothes and calm demeanor, he seemed to have figured out that he was not a bandit. Only then did he relax his guard a little and speak in a hoarse voice: "Young man—you're from out of town, aren't you? Alas—this Gushui County—is deserted for a long time—"

He coughed a few times and began to speak haltingly.

It turned out that about a month ago, a group of defeated remnants of the Liangzhou army fled to this area. Although they were called remnants, there were still nearly a thousand of them.

Moreover, most of them were veterans who had survived countless battles, and were extremely fierce.

They needed supplies and rest, and a small town like Gushui County naturally became the best target.

"Those damned bastards—they stormed into the city and looted, killing everyone they saw—"

County Commandant Zhao, along with his guards and constables, fought desperately, but the enemy outnumbered them and had several powerful military officers.

As the old beggar spoke, a trace of grief and indignation flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"Lord Zhao—died on the spot—"

Wang Anping's heart skipped a beat, and his fist clenched instantly.

"Then—are there any other members of the Zhao family?" he hurriedly asked.

The old beggar shook his head: "I don't know—in the chaos of war, who has time to care about anyone else?"

I escaped this calamity by hiding in a broken coffin in a mass grave outside the city.

Later I heard that many people from the city took advantage of the chaos to escape through the back mountain and head south.

Whether anyone from the Zhao family has run away, I truly do not know—”

He paused, then added, "Those Liangzhou soldiers looted enough, burned several streets, and left after a few days."

The rest of them, who would dare to come back? Those who could run away ran away, and those who couldn't—alas—"

Wang Anping remained silent for a long time before slowly standing up. He walked to the temple gate, gazing at the empty county town and the distant direction of the Zhao residence, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Zhao Zhongkun died in battle.

The warm, considerate county magistrate who valued him highly, the father who gave him ten taels of gold and entrusted him with the care of his daughter and nephew, is no longer here.

"Thank you for letting me know, sir."

He turned around, took out some loose silver from his pocket, and stuffed it into the old beggar's hand.

"Keep this money, go buy some food and clothes. Take care in the days to come."

The old beggar held the silver, staring blankly at him, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say.

Wang Anping didn't linger. He strode away from the land temple and stepped back onto that desolate street.

He intended to visit the Zhao residence one last time, but stopped halfway there.

The building is empty, which only adds to the sadness.

He stood there, silent for a long time.

"May County Magistrate Zhao have a safe journey."

He faced the direction of the Zhao residence, solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed deeply.

After the ceremony, he straightened up and, without further hesitation, transformed into a streak of azure light and sped off towards the northwest.

Behind me, the city lay deserted and silent, the setting sun like blood.

After leaving Gushui County, Wang Anping held nothing back and used the Flowing Cloud Step to its fullest potential.

With his current early stage of Qi Refining cultivation, he could wield this lightness skill with the grace of a startled swan and the agility of a swimming dragon.

His figure transformed into a streak of blue light, sweeping across the main road in a flash, making it difficult for ordinary people to even catch a glimpse of him.

In one day and one night, they had covered most of the distance.

What I saw along the way was shocking.

The area along the official road, which should have been crisscrossed with fields and villages with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, is now desolate.

The fields were abandoned and overgrown with weeds, and occasionally a few skeletons could be seen exposed in the wilderness, with no one to collect them.

After passing through several villages and towns, all that remained were ruins or deserted places with broken doors and windows.

Occasionally, stray dogs roam among the ruins, whimpering eerily when they see people.

This is war.

Wang Anping felt heavy-hearted. He had been studying martial arts for half a year, but he never expected that the flames of war would spread to this place.

This once peaceful land has been ravaged into such a state. The tug-of-war between the imperial court and the rebels ultimately brings suffering to the common people.

He quickened his pace, his worries about his hometown growing stronger.

Although Zhenyuan County is remote, war is merciless, and who can guarantee that it will be safe and sound?

The following afternoon, he passed through a mountain valley.

A few houses could be vaguely seen ahead, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, suggesting that people were still living there.

This is truly rare amidst the continuous desolation.

However, as he approached, he caught an unusual sound in his ear.

The woman's cries were mixed with vulgar laughter and curses.

Wang Anping frowned, his speed increased dramatically, and he swept into the village in a few leaps.

A group of people were gathered in front of a simple courtyard at the entrance of the village.

Judging from their clothing, they were seven or eight young men dressed in uniform gray-blue outfits, with the same emblem embroidered on their chests.

Green mountains and towering peaks, shrouded in clouds and mist, are the hallmark of Mount Qingcheng!

In the courtyard, a young woman dressed in rags was pinned to the ground by two disciples from Qingcheng Mountain, struggling and crying desperately.

Beside them was an elderly woman with gray hair, who was lying on the ground pleading desperately, but was kicked away by another disciple and fell to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

"Old hag, get lost! It's her good fortune to be noticed by our Qingcheng Mountain disciples!" The disciple who kicked the woman grinned maliciously and then tried to pull at the woman's clothes.

"Help—please—let me go—" the woman cried desperately.

The other Qingcheng Mountain disciples either stood by with their arms crossed or made a fuss on the sidelines, their faces full of mocking and lewd smiles, as if the violence before them was just a common prank.

Wang Anping's gaze instantly turned cold.

Qingcheng Mountain. It's Qingcheng Mountain again.

Back then, in the dilapidated temple, those three outer disciples were from Qingcheng Mountain. They intended to go to Zhenyuan County to gain merit and curry favor with that Senior Brother Liu, but he killed them.

Now, these are disciples of Qingcheng Mountain, bullying vulnerable women in this desolate village.

He strode forward, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Stop."

Several disciples from Qingcheng Mountain turned around in unison and saw that the newcomer was just a young man of similar age and dressed in ordinary clothes. They were first taken aback, and then burst into laughter.

"Hey, where did this wild brat come from, daring to meddle in the affairs of Qingcheng Mountain?" The disciple who had kicked the old woman released her, swaggered over, and sized up Wang Anping. "What, you want a piece of the pie too? Fine, after we've had our fun, maybe we'll reward you—"

Before he could finish speaking, everything went blurry before his eyes.

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap sent him spinning three times on the spot, half his face instantly swelling up. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, his mouth full of blood, two teeth spitting out mixed with blood.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

The other Qingcheng Mountain disciples were taken aback at first, then their expressions changed, and they drew their swords and knives, surrounding Wang Anping.

"Kid, you're asking for death!" a young man who seemed to be the leader shouted sternly.

"We are inner disciples of Qingcheng Mountain! How dare you attack us? You're asking for trouble!"

"Inner disciples?" Wang Anping's gaze swept over them. Most of these people were at the early to mid-stage of Dark Force, which would be considered experts by ordinary people, but in his eyes, they were no different from ants.

"Qingcheng Mountain is supposed to be a respectable sect in Jingzhou, so is this all the kind of trash they have among their disciples?"

Enraged by his contemptuous tone, the leader roared, "Attack him together! Cripple him!"

The seven attacked simultaneously, their blades flashing and shadows swirling around them!

The moves were ruthless; it was clear the intention was to take a life.

Wang Anping didn't even move an inch. He simply raised his hand, spread his fingers slightly, and gently pressed forward.

"Buzz".

An invisible surge of energy suddenly erupted from his palm, like an invisible giant hammer, crashing head-on into the seven people!

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

Seven figures were sent flying almost simultaneously, crashing heavily into the courtyard wall, tree trunks, and even the walls of the houses.

Blood gushed from the wound, and the cracking sound of bones breaking was clearly audible. Swords and knives flew from his hands and clattered to the ground.

With just one palm strike, all seven were severely injured, leaving them powerless to resist!

The leader collapsed against the wall, his face filled with utter horror, and screamed, "Gang—Gang Qi release! You have Gang Jin!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the others were instantly filled with fear.

Gang Jin! For these disciples of An Jin, it was an existence they could only look up to in awe!

The young man before them, who was about the same age as them, was actually a master of the罡劲 (Gang Jin) technique?!

Wang Anping ignored their shock.

He walked over to the old woman who had been kicked down, gently helped her up, and then said to the woman who was being held down on the ground, "It's alright, get up."

The two women, still shaken, looked at him, then at the Qingcheng Mountain disciples who were lying on the ground groaning in pain. They didn't know what to say, so they just knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

Wang Anping helped them up, then turned his gaze to the Qingcheng Mountain disciples, his voice eerily calm: "Qingcheng Mountain, very good."

I've made a note of it.

The leader, enduring excruciating pain, hissed fiercely, "You—who are you?! You dare hurt us?! Qingcheng Mountain will not let you get away with this!"

"Piaomiao Peak, Wang Anping."

Wang Anping casually announced his address.